Tennis racket and other play implement



July 11, 1933- R. BLOOMSTRAND TENNIS RACKET AND OTHER PLAY IMPLEMENT Filed March 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented July 11, 1933 [TED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLAND BLOOMSTRAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TENNIS RACKET AND OTHER PLAY IMPLEMENT Application filed March 6, 19-31.

' The present invention relates to tennis rackets and other play implements, and is particularly concerned with indicating or educational devices for teaching the various grips which it may be desirable to use in play or for preserving information as tothe various desirable grips.

\Vhile the embodiment which has been selected to illustrate the invention is a tennis racket, it should be understood that the invention may be utilized for all kinds of play implements, such as tennis rackets, squash rackets, ping pong rackets, badminton rackets hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats and lacrosse sticks, etc.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved tennis racket which is provided with means for indicating the proper rotative position of the faces of the racket with respect to the hand of the player, for various desirable grips.

Another object is the provision of an improved device of the class described, which is adapted to indicate the proper angular position' of the fingers of the player with respect to the axis of the racket handle, for various desirable grips.

Another object is the provision of an improved indicating device of the class described, which does not detract from the adaptability of the racket for the use of other grips so indicated, or not indicated on the racket.

Another object is the provision of an improved indicating device of the class described, which is equally adaptable for indicating the grips for forehand or backhand strokes or grips, with respect to either face of the racket, or for indicating a multiplicity of grips on the same racket.

Another object is the provision of an improved educational device of the class described, for promoting sales of the tennis rackets or the like to which it is applied.

Another object is the provision of an improved indicating device of the class de scribed, which is simple, economical, effecti ve, readily applied to existing rackets, and capable of improving the play of the user of the racket.

. served in playing tennis, is the proper grip Serial No. 520,552.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent from the following description, and from the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout 55 the several views.

Referring to the drawings, of whichthere are two sheets;

F l is a view in perspective of a complete racket with the hand of the player disposed in a position indicated by one of the indicating devicesof my invention;

Fig; 2 is a plan view of the left side of the handle of theracket, shown in Fig, 1, with appropriate markings for indicating the proper grips for forehand and backhand strokes; v v

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the upper or rear side of the handle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the right side of the handle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the front side of the handle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a similar View of the left side of a racket handle for right-hand use, appropriately marked for-forehand and backhand strokes with either face;

Fig. 7 is a similar View of the upper side bottom or "of the same handle;

Fig. 8 is a similar View of the left side of the same handle;

Fig. 9 is a similarview of the front or lower side of the same handle;

Fig. 10 is a side view of a handle provided with a simplified form of marking for indi- 85 eating the forehand and back-hand stroke grips with the right-hand, using one face of the racket for the forehand stroke and the other face for the backhand stroke;

Fig. 11 is a similar View of the opposite side of the racket handle from Fig. 10, with the markings used for the reverse sides of the racket for the same strokes;

Fig. 12 is a View of the top and right side of the racket handle of Fig. 1, with a simplified form of marking for indicating the location of the apex of the angle between the thumb and forefinger in gripping the racket.

()ne of the most important points to be obplay.

for the handle of the racket, and this point is equally important in other games of the same kind, such as squash, ping pong, badminton and the like. The style of grips favored by leading amateur and professional players has changed considerably with the passing of time, but nevertheless there have always been grips which have been regarded as the proper ones for predetermined strokes, and it is recognized that the style of play and the effectiveness of any player, depends a great deal upon he use of a grip which facilitates good The illustrations in the present description, are made with respect tothe right-hand, but it will be obvious that the present indi" cating devices and system of indication are equally applicable to right-hand or left-hand grips, and the grips illustrated are merely exemplary of some of the standard grips which may be indicated by the present devices.

It should also be understood that the present indicating devices may be utilized for a considerable number of different forms of grips, such as the standard grips for the forehand and backhand strokes, the former of which is usually employed for service, but any number of different types of grips for particular purposes, such as volleying, overhand, net play, underhand, etc., may be indicated and preserved by means of the present indicating devices. The grips illustrated are those of the applicant, an amateur of long experience, and may be regarded as exemplary of one good style or grip for the fore- I hand and for the backhand stroke, butthe present invention may be used to indicate to others the exact grip and location of the hand of any professional or amateur, thereby preserving, transmitting and utilizing information which would be considered invaluable by other players.

The present indicia would also greatly enhance the value of a racket to which it is applied, depending upon the authority whose grip is indicated, and the presence of such indicating devices would naturally increase sales of the rackets to which they areapplied.

The present indicating devices are used for determining the position of the hand longitudinally of the handle, for determining the proper rotative position of the hand with respect to the handle and face of the racket, and for determining the proper angular position of the fingers with respect to the axis of the handle.

Referring'to Figs. 1 to 5, the indicia preferably consists of one or more sets of lines, each set being adapted to indicate the proper position of the hand. for the grip of one pre determined stroke. The respective sets of lines are preferably of different color or appearance, so that the grips for different strokes may readily be distinguished and the I the player for other grips.

Referring to Fig. 2, the indicia for the forehand stroke grip consists of tile lines 20 and 21 which preferably intersect at an apex or angle 22, and which extend in an angular direction longitudinally of the handle, as well as transversely about the handle from the butt of the handle towards the throat of the racket in opposite directions;

Fig. 2 is the left side View of the handle illustrated in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and 5 are the top and bottom, respectively. lt'will be observed in Fig. 3 that the line 21 continues to the right diagonally, upward about the handle, and referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the line 20 continues upward diagonally toward the left. The length of the lines 20 and 21 may vary with the extent to which it is desired to give an indication of the finger position.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the line 21 is in substantial registry or alignment with the outside line or surface of the forefinger, or the left side of the right-hand when the palm is facing downward, and the line 20 is in substantial alignment or registration with the inside of the thumb.

This being the grip for the forehand stroke, I prefer to locate the hand so that the palm of the hand is located in back of the handle or on the top of the handle, as shown in Fig. 1, in such position that the full force of the hand may be brought to bear upon the racket in the forehand stroke. T he forefinger may extend diagonally across the top of the handle in Fig. 1, in registry with the line 21, but on the right side of the handle 23 the forefinger preferably curls back as shown by the downwardly and diagonally extending portion 21a of the line 21.

l have discovered that it is sufficient to indicate the location of the apex of the angle between the thumb and forefinger and the general angular direction in which the thumb and. forefinger should extend, and therefore the lincs 20 and 21 may be made shorter, if desired, and the portion 21a at the end of the line 21 might be eliminated. In any particular instance, the indication. given by the present indicia may be supplemented by written instructions as to the loca dicate the proper position for the fingers for a grip'for the backhand stroke, and it willbe observed that the racket is rotated slightly with respect to the hand, the apex 26 being disposed slightly to the left of the apex 22. v

The lines 2 1 and 25 areof substantially similar shape to those used for indicating the forehand stroke, since I prefer to use a. similar grip, but it will be-noted that the diagonal portion 24a of the line 24 in F ig. 8, which shows the position of the end of the forefinger in the backhand grip, is sloped slightly upward, whereas the end of the forefinger is curled slightly downward in the forehand grip, as shown by the line 21a in Fig. 4.

It will thus be observed that the intersecting lines which are used to indicate the location of the hand and the general angular position of the fingers, may consist of straight lines when developed on a plain surface, or curved lines, depending upon the exact locat'ion of the fingers from which the grip is taken, but these lines are fully capable of determining not only the position of the hand longitudinally of the handle, but" also, the

rotative position of the faces of the racket with respect to the hand and the angular position of the principal digits.

teferring to Fig. 1, the upper face of the racket has been indicated by the numeral 27 and the lower face by the numeral 28. It will be evident that in the forehand stroke, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower face 28 will be used, the grip of the hand corresponding to lines 20 and 21. When the racket is shifted sli htly, being rotated in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1 with respect to the hand,

the grip may be taken corresponding to the lines 21 and 25 for a backhand stroke, in which case the upper face 27 of the racket .in Fig. 1 would be'used to strike the ball.

The sets of lines 20-21 and 24l-25 are preferably of distinctive appearance, so that the forehand grip may be readily distinguished from the backhand grip. For example, the lines 20-21 may be blue, and the lines 24-25 may be red, and the drawings have been shaded to indicate lines of different color.

It should be understood, however, that it is not necessary to use colored lines, but in dicia of any distinctive appearance may be used, such as printed lines, dotted lines, dashed lines, inlaid lines, burnt lines, painted lines, or dots and stars so disposed as to accomplish the same result. The indicia may be applied by pasting fabric or paper or tape on the handle, in such manner as to indicate the grip or the fabric may be provided with the indicia in the form of printed or colored lines, and applied to any existing racket according to instructions.

Any form of linear indication, such as aprinted sentence extending along the locaopposite face ofthe racket.

tion of the lines 20-21 or 24-25,isconsidered the equivalent of the lines illustrated, and if desired, such printed indicia may not only establish the location of the fingers, but state the character of the grip and the name of the authority. Thus, for example, the lines 20-21 might consist of a printed sentence as follows: This is the forehand grip of (Name of leading professional or amateur).

The handle to which such indicia may be applied, is preferably a handle of the conventional type which usually has four relatively wide sides and four narrow fiat surfaces, making an octagonal handle. I do not favor the changing of the shape of the surface of the handle for any particular grip, because this would hamper the player with respect to other grips and detract from the advantages of the invention.

The present invention is thus adapted to indicate the desirable positions for grips without damaging the handle in any way or without affecting the usual characteristics of the handle.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 9, these are illustrations of the handle of a racket similar to that of F 1 to 5, on which corresponding indicia have been placed for using the face 27 for the forehand stroke and the face 28 for the backhand. stroke. which would be the reverse of the operation described in 1. The lines 27 28 intersecting at apex 29 in Fig. '9, therefore correspond to the lines 20-21 intersecting at 22 in 0, and are used for a forehand grip with respect to the Since both of these l nes are for the forehand grip, they may be made of the same color or appearance, and when the grip has been taken with the hand in registration with either of the lines 20 21 or 27 28., the corresponding face will naturally be found in proper position for a forehand stroke. In a similar manner, the lines 24 and 25 of Fig. 7 correspond to those previously illustrated, but the lines 30 and I 81, intersecting at 32, are the indicia for a backhand stroke, using the opposite face of the racket from that used with the indicia 24-25.

Referring to Figs. 10, 11 and 12, these are simplified forms of indicia, each of which has advantages by virtue of their simplicity.

Referring to Fig. 12, the star 33 is located.

at a position "corresponding to the position lie ' Referring'to F 10 and 11. the stars 33 C and 34 have been supplemented in this embodiment, with additional stars for indicating the general location of the end of the finger and the knuckle of the thumb. Thus, in Fig. 11, the star 35 indicates the general position of the knuckle of the thumb and the star 36 should come adjacent the outside of the forefinger and lines drawn between stars 34 and 35 and 34 and 36, wouldcorrespend to the lines 2021 in a general way;

Referring to Fig. 10, the stars 37- and 38 indicate the general position of the thumb and'forefinger for a forehand stroke, while the star SSindiuates the location of the apex between the thumb and forefinger.

' It will thus be observed that I have invented. an improved indicating device for tennis racketsand the like, whereby the proper position for the various grips used in the standard forehand and backhand strokes, or any other strokes, may be conveniently indicated. The present indicating devices may be used for preserving data as to the grips of leading amateurs and professionals in a convenient manner for use by other players, and I have found the indicia of great educational value. The indicating devices do not hamper the player in taking other grips and after a short time, the grips indicated become second nature to the player and may be assumed with out reference to the indicating devices, which, however, are always present and may be used for observing the correctness of the grip at any time.

The eflicacy of the present indicating devices, is such that one who is learning the game of tennis or the like, immediately assumes the grip and tends to assume the corresponding stroke of the professional or amateur whose grip is indicated on the racket, and the taking of a proper grip naturally places the face of the racket in such a position as to affect the direction of the stroke and improve the play.

While I have illustrated a preferred em bodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s:

1. An educational device for tennis racket handles and the like, comprising a piece of fabrlc: provided wlth adhesive adapted to be applied to a conventional. tennis racket handle, said fabric having a pair of separate markings of distinctive appearance for indi-- cating the proper grip for a forehand stroke and a backhand stroke, and said markings comprising linear indications of the direction of the thumb and the forefinger for each grip,

said linear indications for each grip inter- .1

secting at the apex between the thumb and the forefinger. v

2. In a tennis racket or the like, a handle of conventional shape characterized by the absence of grooves and depressions for receiving the fingers of the player, whereby said handle may be gripped in any of a multiplicity of different positions, an indicator for the grip for a forehand stroke and an indicator for the grip for a backhand stroke, each of said indicators comprising linear markings on the plane surfaces of said handle, whereby the operator may readily shift from one grip to the other and learn to assume the proper grip for said strokes. I

I 3. In a tennis racket or the like, a handle characterized by a plurality of plane sides adapted to facilitate the grip of said handle in a plurality of rotative positions, and a guide for a grip, comprising a pair of lines for indicating the angular position of the thumb and the forefinger and for indicating the apex between the thumb and forefinger, said indicator being characterized by the absence of marking devices for the other fingers so that the other fingers may assume the natural position for. any individual player.

4. In a tennis racket or the like, a handle of conventional shape having a plurality of plane sides, said handle having a fabric grip secured thereto by adhesive, and said fabric grip having a marking of distinctive appearance for indicating the proper grip for a predetermined stroke, said marking comprising. llnear lndications of the direction of the thumb and of the forefinger for said grip, said linear indications intersecting at the apex between the thumb and the forefinger,

said fabric being secured to said handle in the c proper positionlongitudinally and rotatively of said handle for said grip.

5. In a manually. controlled play implement, the combination of a handle of conventional shape having a substantially smooth surface characterized by the absence of grooves and depressions for the fingers, with a grip indicator for said handle, said grip indicator liavlng a marking of distinctive appearance for indicating the proper. grip for.

a predetermined stroke with said play implement, and said marking comprising indications of the directions of predetermined digits of the user on the grip, showing the angular ity of the digits, their proper longitudinal position on the handle, and'their proper position rotatively of the handle for and stroke.

6. In a manually cont-rolled play implefent, the combination of a handle of conventional shape having a substantially smooth surface characterized by the absence of grooves and depressions for the fingers, with a grip indicator for said handle, said grip said grip indicator havinga marking of distinctive,

Gil

said indicator comprising a handle covering fixedly secured to the handle in predetermined position With a distinctive linear marking to determine the position of the hand.

In witness whereof, I hereunto vsubscribe my name this 4th day of March, 1931.

ROLAND BLOOMSTRAND. 

